SWM-SYSTEMS FOR RESOURCE RECOVERY &

CONVERSION
SYSTEMS FOR RESORCE RECOVERY &
CONVERSION
This entails techniques or methods
used to facilitate the following;
Material recovery (usable
materials)
Conversion products.

Energy recovery.
Interrelationship of Functional Elements in
MSW
Waste Generation

Waste Preparation

Collection

Transfer + Storage Processing +

Recovery

Disposal
MATERIAL FLOW IN A SOCIETY
 PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR
MATERIAL RECOVERY
Mechanical Size Alteration
The objective of size reduction is
obtain a product that is uniform and
reduced in size in comparison with the
original product.
Altered materials are generally easy to
handle and dispose at areas such as
landfills and dumping sites.
 MECHANICAL SIZE ALTERATION
SYSTEMS
Mechanical Shredders
 Process of size reduction consists of
brute force breakage of particle by
hammers crushers, etc.
 Shredder performance is measured
with respect to the degree of particle
size reduction achieved against power
cost and shredder wear.
 TYPES OF SEPARATION
TECHNIQUES
filtration
mechanical separation
Floatation
centrifugation
–simple distillation
–fractional distillation
–crystallization
–chromatography
 MECHANICAL COMPONENT
SEPARATION SYSTEMS
Screens
 Component separation is important in the
recovery of resources and conversion
products from unprocessed wastes.
 Screens separate materials solely by size,
i.e., there is no material identification by any
property.
 Screens are used as a classification step
before actual material separation process.
 The most widely screen used in resource
recovery is the trommel
 MODE OF OPERATION -
TROMMEL
Charge inside a trommel behaves in three distinct
modes.
The three modes are a function of the rotational
speed of the trommel.
 Cascading - at low speed, the materials inside the trommel
rolls back and forth; i.e. there is no material lift.
 Cataracting - at medium speed, the material is carried up to
the side and falls straight back to the floor of the trommel.
 Centrifuging – at high speed, the materials adheres to the

inside walls of the trommel.

MODE OF OPERATION -
TROMMEL
TROMMEL DESIGN SPEED - CRITICAL
SPEED
The efficiency of a trommel is enhanced when
the particle has the greatest opportunity to drop
through the holes – cataracting.
Therefore, rotational speed for a trommel,

N = (g/4π2r)1/2
c

where Nc = Critical speed, rotations/sec.

r = radius of drum, cm.
g = gravitational acc, cm/sec2.
EXPRESSIONS FOR MATERIAL
RECOVERY
BINARY SEPARATION
 Entails separation of one
material from a mixture
POLYNARY SEPARATION
 Entails separation of more than
one material from a mixture.
 BINARY SEPARATOR
X1 + Y1
X0 + Y 0
X 2 + Y2
 BINARY SEPARATOR CONT
Explanations of variables
X0 + Y0 = mixed feed into the separator
X1 + Y1 = product or extract.
X2 + Y2 = reject .

Therefore the recovery of the product x1 (as a percentage)

RX1 = (X1/ X0) * 100
When the separator is turned off, all the feed stream goes into the
extract; i.e., X0 = X1, hence R(X1) = 100%.
Purity of the extract stream;
Px1 = {X1/(X1 + Y1 } * 100
Finally, Efficiency of the separator; E(x,y) = {( X1/ X0)*(Y2 / Y0)} * 100
 AIR CLASSIFIERS
Materials may be separated by their aerodynamic
properties.
 MAGNETIC AND ELECTRO-MECH
SEPARATION
Used in the magnetic separation of ferrous materials.
MAGNETIC AND ELECTRO-MECH
SEPARATION
Another type of a magnetic separator
BIOLOGICAL CONVERSION
PRODUCTS
Bio-processes and their Conversion Products
Process Conversion Product

1. Aerobic conversion Compost

2. Anaerobic digestion Methane
3. Alkaline hydrolysis Organic acids
4. Fermentation Ethanol
 THERMAL CONVERSION
PRODUCTS
Thermal processes and their Conversion Products.
Process Conversion Product

Incineration Energy (Steam + Electricity)

Gasification Low energy gas
Wet Oxidation Organic compounds
Pyrolysis Liquid fuels, gas, char etc